Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All who wish to spend time with and adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament are invited!!
---------------------------------------
Fran wrote the following: “With The Annual March for Life coming up in a few weeks, and the fact that abstinence has been a point of discussion in previous posts, I offer the following: On December 28th, a letter which I wrote to the editor of the Washington Post, was printed. It was titled "The Wisdom of Abstinence." ( A title which the editors gave to the letter.) Today, January 3rd, a rebuttal was printed. It was titled, "Teens Will Be Teens." I would encourage any teen (or parent) who reads this blog to respond to today's letter of rebuttal with his/ her opinion.”
On the same topic, Anon made this comment: “I was listening to a debate about teaching teens about abstinence. There was a group of women who were adamant about NOT teaching abstinence. The conversation evolved past the point of ‘abstinence only’ being taught to not talking about abstinence at all (in the schools). Their point- sex is a medical topic and should be taught from that perspective only, and the choice to abstain was a moral one and shouldn’t be discussed; it had no bearing on the subject matter. If we think it’s appropriate that the teaching, implementation and/or mere mention of morality should be completely absent from our schools, I’d say the devil is very much alive and well.”
Great last line, Anon! It is really sad to hear people reduce the beautiful and sacred gift of sex to merely a “medical topic”. To use the language of the judge who scolded O.J. the other day, either they are arrogant or ignorant or both. If they or others are teaching their kids that sex is a medical topic only, then they shouldn’t be surprised if their kids use members of the opposite sex “for medical purposes only”. In addition, are they really naïve enough to think that sex is being taught amorally in our classrooms? There are many school districts, unfortunately, which are going out of their way to teach kids about sex in immoral ways (condoms, birth control, etc.). They don’t approach it as a medical topic only.
The rebuttal to Fran’s editorial was heavy with cynicism, not to mention the jab that teaching abstinence is a form of proselytizing. You begin to see through the arguments from the other side pretty quickly as being driven by an agenda that has little to do with our teens. It is an agenda that promotes a contraceptive culture. Like the devil, it doesn’t want to have its presence known so it diverts attention from the subject matter by using terms like ‘proselytizing’ and ‘moralizing’. Our agenda is focused on the subject matter; it is providing what’s best for people, in this instance abstinence (in its fullness it’s chastity) for our teens. The agenda from the other side is dangerous, disrespectful, and degrading to teens and can easily send the message that it’s ok to have “safe sex” (btw, condoms aren’t 100% safe…they have a 12% failure rate).
It’s interesting that neither side is satisfied with abstinence-only programs; the Church would add the practice of chastity and our opponents would add the use of condoms. Some abstinence-only programs have helped teens and some haven’t. The ones that have been successful are the ones that offer continual education and that the parents get involved. The Church would say that the most successful (and maybe difficult!) education about sex that teens can get is from their parents.
If parents are living chastity and teaching it to their teens, then they are doing what’s best for them (and themselves). They are giving them the knowledge (and power) of how to live freely regarding sex. They are giving them the knowledge of how to find happiness at their young age. Of the teens I know who are living chastely, I don’t know any who aren’t happy. Of the teens I know who are living unchastely, I don’t know any who are happy. Are we helping teens to just be teens, or are we helping teens to be happy teens?
Friday, January 18, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Romans 8:38
Anon wrote the following: “I think this whole topic (of “evil is all around us”) begs the question about the origins of evil- where does it come from? As all good originates from God, does all evil originate from Satan? If we have free will and choose sin, where does Satan factor in to the equation? One topic I’ve never addressed, and never really wanted to learn about before, is the concept of Satan among us. Maybe it’s juvenile, but it freaks me out. I knew a priest a while ago (he’s since died), who was thought to have had “battles” with Satan. I was at dinner with him one night, and one of the hosts asked a question about the rumors of sounds coming from his room at the rectory, and I promptly excused myself before he could answer. The idea that there is evil in the world, and even the idea that I have perpetuated some of it is something I can deal with. The idea that Satan may have been at work when I did any of those things really disturbs me. The idea of Satan as a real physical manifestation in anyway bothers me beyond words.”
I commented on this in my homily on the first Sunday of Lent last year and have included excerpts from it below. I spoke about a priest who did battles with the Devil in the 19th century in France as well as the origins of evil. For me, it would probably be scary to have a confrontation with the Devil but I would be internally psyched! If the Devil ever attacks me outwardly, it would mean that he is threatened by my ministry. It sounds scary about the priest that you mentioned, Anon, but it’s a great statement about how powerful a priest he was, by the Grace of God. And, please keep in mind what St. Paul says in Romans 8:38: “neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities…nor any power…will be able to come between us and the love of God known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
“In a rare outward appearance, the Devil tried to disrupt St. John Vianney’s ministry of healing. Many nights, he would attack Fr. Vianney; people heard loud and strange noises coming from the rectory. One night, they saw fire coming from Fr. Vianney’s bedroom: the Devil had lit Father’s bed on fire! At first, Fr. Vianney was afraid, but then he got used to the attacks. He finally figured out the timing of it all: every night the Devil came to attack him, a big sinner would come to Confession the next day – someone who hadn’t been to Confession in 20 or 30 or more years. With the help of Christ, St. John Vianney withstood the attacks of Satan, and won victory over him.
The Devil makes another rare appearance in today’s Gospel: he tempts Jesus in the desert three times. Usually, Satan works in invisible and very subtle ways. His main objective is to take people away from God without them even knowing of his presence. The Devil is not an evil God; he is not on the same level as God. He is an angel, a fallen angel. He used to be known as Lucifer which means “light-bearer”. He was the top and brightest angel. Like all angels, he was given a free choice to either serve God forever or reject Him forever. He and about 1/3 of the angels in Heaven chose to reject God because they were filled with pride.
The Book of Revelation, chapter 12, verse 7, says that a battle ensued between St. Michael and the good angels and Satan and the fallen angels. The good guys won! They crushed the demons, and cast them down to earth. Satan and his legion of demons now wage spiritual warfare on earth. He has made his presence known a few times – the Garden of Eden, to Christ in the desert, and to a few people like St. John Vianney. It’s very important for us to know that the Devil can never force us to do anything against our will. He tempts us in brilliant ways; he is much smarter than any of us. On our own, we can’t defeat him; but, with the help of God, we will be safe and win victory over our Enemy.”
I commented on this in my homily on the first Sunday of Lent last year and have included excerpts from it below. I spoke about a priest who did battles with the Devil in the 19th century in France as well as the origins of evil. For me, it would probably be scary to have a confrontation with the Devil but I would be internally psyched! If the Devil ever attacks me outwardly, it would mean that he is threatened by my ministry. It sounds scary about the priest that you mentioned, Anon, but it’s a great statement about how powerful a priest he was, by the Grace of God. And, please keep in mind what St. Paul says in Romans 8:38: “neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities…nor any power…will be able to come between us and the love of God known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
“In a rare outward appearance, the Devil tried to disrupt St. John Vianney’s ministry of healing. Many nights, he would attack Fr. Vianney; people heard loud and strange noises coming from the rectory. One night, they saw fire coming from Fr. Vianney’s bedroom: the Devil had lit Father’s bed on fire! At first, Fr. Vianney was afraid, but then he got used to the attacks. He finally figured out the timing of it all: every night the Devil came to attack him, a big sinner would come to Confession the next day – someone who hadn’t been to Confession in 20 or 30 or more years. With the help of Christ, St. John Vianney withstood the attacks of Satan, and won victory over him.
The Devil makes another rare appearance in today’s Gospel: he tempts Jesus in the desert three times. Usually, Satan works in invisible and very subtle ways. His main objective is to take people away from God without them even knowing of his presence. The Devil is not an evil God; he is not on the same level as God. He is an angel, a fallen angel. He used to be known as Lucifer which means “light-bearer”. He was the top and brightest angel. Like all angels, he was given a free choice to either serve God forever or reject Him forever. He and about 1/3 of the angels in Heaven chose to reject God because they were filled with pride.
The Book of Revelation, chapter 12, verse 7, says that a battle ensued between St. Michael and the good angels and Satan and the fallen angels. The good guys won! They crushed the demons, and cast them down to earth. Satan and his legion of demons now wage spiritual warfare on earth. He has made his presence known a few times – the Garden of Eden, to Christ in the desert, and to a few people like St. John Vianney. It’s very important for us to know that the Devil can never force us to do anything against our will. He tempts us in brilliant ways; he is much smarter than any of us. On our own, we can’t defeat him; but, with the help of God, we will be safe and win victory over our Enemy.”
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Baptism of the Lord - homily
I would like to make two announcements to start. The first is that there is an insert in your bulletin which is a letter on marriage from the Maryland Catholic Bishops. The bishops are encouraging us to get involved with some important legislation that the Maryland General Assembly is considering which would allow same-sex marriage or civil unions in this state. The legislation would not protect the sacred institution of marriage; rather, it would radically change it. The bishops have given a website (www.mdcathcon.org) at the end of the letter. We should all come to the defense of marriage which is the oldest and most important institution in the world.
The second announcement is that there will be a retreat for men who are in their twenties, thirties, and forties and considering a call to the priesthood from February 1-3. If you or someone you know might be interested in this retreat, please see me after Mass or email me. This week is National Vocations Awareness Week; please continue to pray for vocations, especially from St. Andrew’s.
We have an awesome scene in today’s Gospel with the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan. Many people ask why Jesus was baptized; he didn’t need to be cleansed in any way. His baptism is not for him but for us; it’s an example for us. Moreover, the baptism of the Lord is different from all the Jewish baptism before his. We see and hear things from this scene that show us that his baptism and all Christian baptisms are new; everything is new in Christ, and Christ makes all things new.
First, the Spirit descended upon Jesus “like a dove”. This is new. Jesus was anointed with the Spirit, as the second reading from Acts tells us. It is the Spirit that is present at major points in Jesus’ life, leading Him. Second, “the heavens were opened”. This is the first time the heavens were opened since they were closed at the Fall of Man with Adam and Eve. The third new thing we hear about is “a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son’”. This is the first time a voice came from heaven saying, ‘this is my Son”. God has a son and his name is Jesus! His baptism is new; all Christian baptisms are new and have the same elements as his baptism. At our baptisms, it was like there was a voice coming from Heaven saying, “this is my beloved son…this is my beloved daughter”.
All things are made new in Christ. We have a new covenant with God in Christ. Christ is the new covenant. As the first reading from Isaiah tells us, God’s servant will be the “covenant of the people”. Christ is that servant. God has given us seven ways – the seven sacraments - to live in the new covenant. Whenever we receive any of the seven sacraments, we participate in the new covenant with God. Baptism in Christ is entry into the new covenant. The baptized person is literally a “new creation”. This newness is most especially true with Baptism, but it is also true that whenever we participate in the sacrament of Reconciliation, we are made “new creations”, new persons. To live out the new covenant in Christ is to be continually renewed.
We come to drink the blood of the new covenant with the Eucharist. We come to be renewed by this sacrament. And, we have the same Trinitarian formula as with the scene of the Baptism of the Lord. The Eucharist is an offering to the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit. May each one of us live a Trinitarian life centered on the Eucharist. May our lives be offerings to the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit.
The second announcement is that there will be a retreat for men who are in their twenties, thirties, and forties and considering a call to the priesthood from February 1-3. If you or someone you know might be interested in this retreat, please see me after Mass or email me. This week is National Vocations Awareness Week; please continue to pray for vocations, especially from St. Andrew’s.
We have an awesome scene in today’s Gospel with the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan. Many people ask why Jesus was baptized; he didn’t need to be cleansed in any way. His baptism is not for him but for us; it’s an example for us. Moreover, the baptism of the Lord is different from all the Jewish baptism before his. We see and hear things from this scene that show us that his baptism and all Christian baptisms are new; everything is new in Christ, and Christ makes all things new.
First, the Spirit descended upon Jesus “like a dove”. This is new. Jesus was anointed with the Spirit, as the second reading from Acts tells us. It is the Spirit that is present at major points in Jesus’ life, leading Him. Second, “the heavens were opened”. This is the first time the heavens were opened since they were closed at the Fall of Man with Adam and Eve. The third new thing we hear about is “a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son’”. This is the first time a voice came from heaven saying, ‘this is my Son”. God has a son and his name is Jesus! His baptism is new; all Christian baptisms are new and have the same elements as his baptism. At our baptisms, it was like there was a voice coming from Heaven saying, “this is my beloved son…this is my beloved daughter”.
All things are made new in Christ. We have a new covenant with God in Christ. Christ is the new covenant. As the first reading from Isaiah tells us, God’s servant will be the “covenant of the people”. Christ is that servant. God has given us seven ways – the seven sacraments - to live in the new covenant. Whenever we receive any of the seven sacraments, we participate in the new covenant with God. Baptism in Christ is entry into the new covenant. The baptized person is literally a “new creation”. This newness is most especially true with Baptism, but it is also true that whenever we participate in the sacrament of Reconciliation, we are made “new creations”, new persons. To live out the new covenant in Christ is to be continually renewed.
We come to drink the blood of the new covenant with the Eucharist. We come to be renewed by this sacrament. And, we have the same Trinitarian formula as with the scene of the Baptism of the Lord. The Eucharist is an offering to the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit. May each one of us live a Trinitarian life centered on the Eucharist. May our lives be offerings to the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit.
Friday, January 11, 2008
"Lord, teach us to pray"
Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All those who wish to adore Jesus in the Eucharist are invited!!
-----------------------------------------
Recently, Anon asked the following in response to my post, “Prayer: Putting on the Mind of Christ” (11/13/07): “How did you make the transition from praying only occasionally when you needed something to what you call real prayer that involves a relationship with God? I think the former type of prayer is typical of many many people -- people who believe, go to Mass, etc. How does one move beyond it?”
In one of my Christmas homilies, I said that it was back when I didn’t really know Christ that I would only pray when I needed something. I said that there was no real friendship there. I encouraged all to examine where they are in their friendship with Christ and said that it’s all about friendship with Him. The inference was that if there are people who pray now like I used to, then they don’t really know Christ or have a real friendship with Him. I will answer your question in the same way by saying that one moves beyond merely asking God for stuff by growing in friendship with Him. So, how do we actually do that?
This reminds me of a talk I had this week with 2nd grade boys who are in my nephew’s Cub Scouts den. I asked them if they pray every day and just about every one of them (18) said they did. Great! So, I asked them how they pray. They said that they get on their knees, they make the sign of the Cross, they close their eyes, etc. Now, of course, they were answering my question, but these weren’t the responses I was necessarily looking for. So, I asked them a follow-up question: how do you talk to your best friend? They responded by saying that they talk about what’s going on in school or other stuff, they listen to their friend, they laugh with their friend, etc.
I found it very interesting that their answers about how they pray were much more of a formal nature. They immediately thought of the style of their prayer rather than its substance. I assured them that the gestures they make are very important; these gestures (kneeling, sign of the cross) show that prayer is not exactly like talking to a good friend because it is an encounter with the Almighty. But, if we are in friendship with Christ, then prayer is from our heart. When we describe how we pray, it should be along the lines of: talking with Him about what’s going on in our lives, listening to Him speak to our hearts (the hardest part), laughing with Him, crying with Him, thanking Him, etc.
How did I move beyond self-centered prayer? I began to spend time with Christ. I began to go out of my way to be with Him, mainly in Eucharistic Adoration. I began to center my prayer on Him. I didn’t know how to pray when I first started (still have a long way to go!), but I knew I just wanted to be there with Him. I knew that I needed to be there with Him. The most important thing about prayer is to be there. Just be there. If we are there with Him (if not physically in the Real Presence, then spiritually in our hearts) with open hearts, then He shows us how to pray. “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1).
I remember what a retreat master in the seminary said about prayer which summarizes much of what I’m writing. He said that we often go to our Lord to tell Him the kind of day we have had and dump all of our problems on Him. But, how often do we say, “Hi, Lord, how was your day?” The best way for us to move beyond self-centered prayer is to center our prayer on Jesus. The best way for us to do that is to see Him - in the Eucharist. We will see Him tonight from 7-8 pm. If we come with open hearts, He will show us how to pray.
-----------------------------------------
Recently, Anon asked the following in response to my post, “Prayer: Putting on the Mind of Christ” (11/13/07): “How did you make the transition from praying only occasionally when you needed something to what you call real prayer that involves a relationship with God? I think the former type of prayer is typical of many many people -- people who believe, go to Mass, etc. How does one move beyond it?”
In one of my Christmas homilies, I said that it was back when I didn’t really know Christ that I would only pray when I needed something. I said that there was no real friendship there. I encouraged all to examine where they are in their friendship with Christ and said that it’s all about friendship with Him. The inference was that if there are people who pray now like I used to, then they don’t really know Christ or have a real friendship with Him. I will answer your question in the same way by saying that one moves beyond merely asking God for stuff by growing in friendship with Him. So, how do we actually do that?
This reminds me of a talk I had this week with 2nd grade boys who are in my nephew’s Cub Scouts den. I asked them if they pray every day and just about every one of them (18) said they did. Great! So, I asked them how they pray. They said that they get on their knees, they make the sign of the Cross, they close their eyes, etc. Now, of course, they were answering my question, but these weren’t the responses I was necessarily looking for. So, I asked them a follow-up question: how do you talk to your best friend? They responded by saying that they talk about what’s going on in school or other stuff, they listen to their friend, they laugh with their friend, etc.
I found it very interesting that their answers about how they pray were much more of a formal nature. They immediately thought of the style of their prayer rather than its substance. I assured them that the gestures they make are very important; these gestures (kneeling, sign of the cross) show that prayer is not exactly like talking to a good friend because it is an encounter with the Almighty. But, if we are in friendship with Christ, then prayer is from our heart. When we describe how we pray, it should be along the lines of: talking with Him about what’s going on in our lives, listening to Him speak to our hearts (the hardest part), laughing with Him, crying with Him, thanking Him, etc.
How did I move beyond self-centered prayer? I began to spend time with Christ. I began to go out of my way to be with Him, mainly in Eucharistic Adoration. I began to center my prayer on Him. I didn’t know how to pray when I first started (still have a long way to go!), but I knew I just wanted to be there with Him. I knew that I needed to be there with Him. The most important thing about prayer is to be there. Just be there. If we are there with Him (if not physically in the Real Presence, then spiritually in our hearts) with open hearts, then He shows us how to pray. “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1).
I remember what a retreat master in the seminary said about prayer which summarizes much of what I’m writing. He said that we often go to our Lord to tell Him the kind of day we have had and dump all of our problems on Him. But, how often do we say, “Hi, Lord, how was your day?” The best way for us to move beyond self-centered prayer is to center our prayer on Jesus. The best way for us to do that is to see Him - in the Eucharist. We will see Him tonight from 7-8 pm. If we come with open hearts, He will show us how to pray.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Interesting but complex questions!
Here are two questions from anonymous bloggers:
1) “We've noted many times here that many people do not believe that Jesus was God, some of whom have never given it any thought. What does the Church believe about some people's failure to consider Christ or believe in Him? Does God reveal Himself to some and not others, or is it due to some failure on the part of a person who does not believe?”
This is actually a timely question as we have just celebrated the feast of the Epiphany which has a special focus on the manifestation of Christ to all nations, and not just Israel. So, God reveals himself to all. It is the mission of the Church to reveal God fully in Jesus Christ, and to offer all the opportunity for happiness in this life and in the next. The following paragraph (#1260) from the Catechism reminds us that happiness and salvation are offered to all. It also comments on those who haven’t received the fullness of God’s revelation through no fault of their own:
“’Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery (Gaudium et Spes, Vatican II).’ Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.”
Now, let’s consider those who have knowledge of Jesus Christ and the Church’s call to live out His Gospel. If they knowingly and freely fail to consider Christ or believe in Him, they fail to consider true love and happiness in this life, first and foremost. In other words, they won’t know love and happiness in their lifetimes on earth. In addition, they put their happiness in the next life in great jeopardy. It’s all about they know: if they know that Jesus is the Christ and fail to believe in Him in their lives, then they sin gravely against the first commandment. If their knowledge is full and choice is free, then they commit mortal sin which is separation from God’s love and friendship. “If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back” (CCC, # 1861).
2) “I had an interesting question posed to me today. I was asked if I thought trust and faith were the same thing. I was told that perhaps I was confusing the two. Maybe. I was told that trust is based on evidence while faith extends beyond reason. Would that mean that faith is NOT based on evidence? Wouldn't that make faith, at least sometimes, unreasonable? And what human being is totally trustworthy or totally untrustworthy? If we trust based on evidence alone, what human being could we reasonably trust?”
Interesting but complex questions! Webster’s dictionary equates trust with hope. And, we know that while faith and hope are interrelated, they are distinct theological virtues. Per the Catechism, faith is a gift from God and a human act; it is “man’s response to God” (#26) and to the truth that God has revealed. I think it’s safe to say that God gives us “evidence” about Himself and that faith means assenting to it. The Church herself points to the evidence of the Resurrection as “reasons” for believing that it happened. Faith does involve reason; an example of faith without reason is 9/11 (believing that God’s Will was to fly airplanes into buildings).
Hope is centered on our happiness. It stems from the desire in every human heart for happiness. Trust that God is our happiness is inherent to us, then. We trust that the faith we are putting in God will result in our happiness. We trust that what God has revealed and promised will be fulfilled. The Catechism also links hope with trust: “we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the Holy Spirit” (#1817).
1) “We've noted many times here that many people do not believe that Jesus was God, some of whom have never given it any thought. What does the Church believe about some people's failure to consider Christ or believe in Him? Does God reveal Himself to some and not others, or is it due to some failure on the part of a person who does not believe?”
This is actually a timely question as we have just celebrated the feast of the Epiphany which has a special focus on the manifestation of Christ to all nations, and not just Israel. So, God reveals himself to all. It is the mission of the Church to reveal God fully in Jesus Christ, and to offer all the opportunity for happiness in this life and in the next. The following paragraph (#1260) from the Catechism reminds us that happiness and salvation are offered to all. It also comments on those who haven’t received the fullness of God’s revelation through no fault of their own:
“’Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery (Gaudium et Spes, Vatican II).’ Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.”
Now, let’s consider those who have knowledge of Jesus Christ and the Church’s call to live out His Gospel. If they knowingly and freely fail to consider Christ or believe in Him, they fail to consider true love and happiness in this life, first and foremost. In other words, they won’t know love and happiness in their lifetimes on earth. In addition, they put their happiness in the next life in great jeopardy. It’s all about they know: if they know that Jesus is the Christ and fail to believe in Him in their lives, then they sin gravely against the first commandment. If their knowledge is full and choice is free, then they commit mortal sin which is separation from God’s love and friendship. “If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back” (CCC, # 1861).
2) “I had an interesting question posed to me today. I was asked if I thought trust and faith were the same thing. I was told that perhaps I was confusing the two. Maybe. I was told that trust is based on evidence while faith extends beyond reason. Would that mean that faith is NOT based on evidence? Wouldn't that make faith, at least sometimes, unreasonable? And what human being is totally trustworthy or totally untrustworthy? If we trust based on evidence alone, what human being could we reasonably trust?”
Interesting but complex questions! Webster’s dictionary equates trust with hope. And, we know that while faith and hope are interrelated, they are distinct theological virtues. Per the Catechism, faith is a gift from God and a human act; it is “man’s response to God” (#26) and to the truth that God has revealed. I think it’s safe to say that God gives us “evidence” about Himself and that faith means assenting to it. The Church herself points to the evidence of the Resurrection as “reasons” for believing that it happened. Faith does involve reason; an example of faith without reason is 9/11 (believing that God’s Will was to fly airplanes into buildings).
Hope is centered on our happiness. It stems from the desire in every human heart for happiness. Trust that God is our happiness is inherent to us, then. We trust that the faith we are putting in God will result in our happiness. We trust that what God has revealed and promised will be fulfilled. The Catechism also links hope with trust: “we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the Holy Spirit” (#1817).
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Feast of the Epiphany - homily
You might remember the Washington Post ad from a few years ago, “if you don’t get it, you don’t get it”. That slogan often makes me think about this feast of the Epiphany. The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah, and the wise men ‘get it’ about who Jesus is. There is another commercial out now which uses the word ‘epiphany’ but it’s about a mundane product, beer. Some guy has an epiphany about Heineken beer, like the light just goes on for him. We use the term in a sacred context today, referring to our Lord and the realization that the wise men have about him.
They get it about who Jesus is and they come to “do him homage”. It might appear that King Herod and all of Jerusalem get it, too, because they acknowledge a newborn king. But, they really don’t get it because they are “greatly troubled” by Jesus. From the start of his life, Jesus is a polarizing figure; this would continue throughout his life, through his death, through his resurrection, and even today. Either we get it about Christ (or are at least trying to get it about Him) or we don’t. Either we believe in Him and do him homage or we don’t believe in Him and reject Him or don’t care about Him.
The other day at the school Mass I asked our students if they have had an epiphany about who Jesus is. Many of them raised their hands, as you would expect. I then asked them how they’d come to have their epiphany and explained that the wise men had a star which led them to Jesus. The students said that their parents, teachers, priests, friends, etc. had led them to have their epiphany that Jesus is the Messiah.
Have we had our epiphany? Do we get it about Christ? Do we really get it about who He is – that He is our Messiah, that He saved us from our sins, that he died for us and redeemed us? This event changed the lives of the wise men; the key word about their epiphany was that they were “overjoyed” with this event. When we get it about Christ and do him homage, when we give our lives to Him, that’s when we find joy and happiness in living for Him. To believe in Christ and his teachings is a challenge; but if we really get it, we are not “greatly troubled” by Jesus.
Unfortunately, there are many people we know who don’t get it about Christ in general, and especially about the Eucharist. My guess is that half of the registered parishioners at St Andrew’s don’t come to Mass… at all. If they don’t get it, they don’t get it. As we come to the Eucharist to do him homage, let us go from here and live out our faith in Christ this week while praying for those who don’t get it and are greatly troubled by Jesus.
They get it about who Jesus is and they come to “do him homage”. It might appear that King Herod and all of Jerusalem get it, too, because they acknowledge a newborn king. But, they really don’t get it because they are “greatly troubled” by Jesus. From the start of his life, Jesus is a polarizing figure; this would continue throughout his life, through his death, through his resurrection, and even today. Either we get it about Christ (or are at least trying to get it about Him) or we don’t. Either we believe in Him and do him homage or we don’t believe in Him and reject Him or don’t care about Him.
The other day at the school Mass I asked our students if they have had an epiphany about who Jesus is. Many of them raised their hands, as you would expect. I then asked them how they’d come to have their epiphany and explained that the wise men had a star which led them to Jesus. The students said that their parents, teachers, priests, friends, etc. had led them to have their epiphany that Jesus is the Messiah.
Have we had our epiphany? Do we get it about Christ? Do we really get it about who He is – that He is our Messiah, that He saved us from our sins, that he died for us and redeemed us? This event changed the lives of the wise men; the key word about their epiphany was that they were “overjoyed” with this event. When we get it about Christ and do him homage, when we give our lives to Him, that’s when we find joy and happiness in living for Him. To believe in Christ and his teachings is a challenge; but if we really get it, we are not “greatly troubled” by Jesus.
Unfortunately, there are many people we know who don’t get it about Christ in general, and especially about the Eucharist. My guess is that half of the registered parishioners at St Andrew’s don’t come to Mass… at all. If they don’t get it, they don’t get it. As we come to the Eucharist to do him homage, let us go from here and live out our faith in Christ this week while praying for those who don’t get it and are greatly troubled by Jesus.
Friday, January 04, 2008
A loving God and suffering
1) Adoration tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All those who wish to spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist are invited!!
2) DC ‘Hood basketball – upcoming games
a. Fri., Feb 1, 7 pm @ Little Flower, Bethesda.
b. Sun, March 2, 2 pm @ Verizon Center
------------------------------------------------------------
Weeks ago, Fran posted some quotes from an article she came across in the Washington Post. The author posed a question we have addressed, more or less, many times here: “How can a loving God allow so much suffering on Earth?” As I continued reading the Pope’s excellent (and extremely insightful) book, “Jesus of Nazareth” last night, I came to the point where the Holy Father addresses this question in his treatment of the Our Father (p. 160f). I thought of our discussions online here, and thought this might help:
“God gives Satan the freedom to test Job, though within precisely defined boundaries: God does not abandon man, but he does allow him to be tried. This is very subtle, still implicit, yet real real glimpse of the mystery of substitution that takes on a major profile in Isaiah 53: Job’s sufferings serve to justify man. By his faith, proved through suffering, he restores man’s honor. Job’s sufferings are thus by anticipation sufferings in communion with Christ, who restores the honor of us all before God and shows us the way never to lose faith in God even amid the deepest darkness…
Love is always a process involving purifications, renunciations, and painful transformations of ourselves – and that is how it is a journey to maturity. If Francis Xavier was able to pray to God, saying, “I love you, not because you have the power to give heaven or hell, but simply because you are you – my king and my God,” then surely he had needed a long path of inner purifications to reach such ultimate freedom – a path through stages of maturity, a path beset with temptation and the danger of falling, but a necessary path nonetheless.
Now we are in a position to interpret the sixth position of the Our Father in a more practical way. When we pray it, we are saying to God: ‘I know that I need trials so that my nature can be purified. When you decide to send me these trials, when you give evil some room to maneuver, as you did with Job, then please remember that my strength only goes so far. Don’t overestimate my capacity. Don’t set too wide the boundaries within which I may be tempted, and be close to me with your protecting hand when it become too much for me’. It was in this sense that St. Cyprian interpreted the sixth petition, He says that when we pray, “And lead us not into temptation”, we are expressing our awareness ‘that the enemy can do nothing against us unless God has allowed it beforehand, so that our fear, our devotion and our worship may be directed to God – because the Evil One is not permitted to do anything unless he is given authorization’ (De dominica oratione 25; CSEL III, 25, p.285f).
And then, pondering the psychological pattern of temptation, he explains that there can be two different reasons why God grants the Evil One a limited power. It can be as a penance for us, in order to dampen our pride, so that we may reexperience the paltriness of our faith, hope, and love and avoid forming too high an opinion of ourselves….But should it not put us in mind of the fact that God has placed a particularly heavy burden on the shoulders of those individuals who were especially close to him, the great saints, from Anthony in his desert to Therese of Lisieux in the pious world of her Carmelite monastery? They follow in the footsteps of Job, so to speak; they offer an apologia for man that is at the same time a defense of God. Even more, they enjoy a very special communion with Jesus Christ, who suffered our temptations to the bitter end. They are called to withstand the temptations of a particular time in their own skin, as it were, in their own souls. They are called to bear them through to the end for us ordinary souls and to help us persist on our way to the One who took upon himself the burden of us all.”
2) DC ‘Hood basketball – upcoming games
a. Fri., Feb 1, 7 pm @ Little Flower, Bethesda.
b. Sun, March 2, 2 pm @ Verizon Center
------------------------------------------------------------
Weeks ago, Fran posted some quotes from an article she came across in the Washington Post. The author posed a question we have addressed, more or less, many times here: “How can a loving God allow so much suffering on Earth?” As I continued reading the Pope’s excellent (and extremely insightful) book, “Jesus of Nazareth” last night, I came to the point where the Holy Father addresses this question in his treatment of the Our Father (p. 160f). I thought of our discussions online here, and thought this might help:
“God gives Satan the freedom to test Job, though within precisely defined boundaries: God does not abandon man, but he does allow him to be tried. This is very subtle, still implicit, yet real real glimpse of the mystery of substitution that takes on a major profile in Isaiah 53: Job’s sufferings serve to justify man. By his faith, proved through suffering, he restores man’s honor. Job’s sufferings are thus by anticipation sufferings in communion with Christ, who restores the honor of us all before God and shows us the way never to lose faith in God even amid the deepest darkness…
Love is always a process involving purifications, renunciations, and painful transformations of ourselves – and that is how it is a journey to maturity. If Francis Xavier was able to pray to God, saying, “I love you, not because you have the power to give heaven or hell, but simply because you are you – my king and my God,” then surely he had needed a long path of inner purifications to reach such ultimate freedom – a path through stages of maturity, a path beset with temptation and the danger of falling, but a necessary path nonetheless.
Now we are in a position to interpret the sixth position of the Our Father in a more practical way. When we pray it, we are saying to God: ‘I know that I need trials so that my nature can be purified. When you decide to send me these trials, when you give evil some room to maneuver, as you did with Job, then please remember that my strength only goes so far. Don’t overestimate my capacity. Don’t set too wide the boundaries within which I may be tempted, and be close to me with your protecting hand when it become too much for me’. It was in this sense that St. Cyprian interpreted the sixth petition, He says that when we pray, “And lead us not into temptation”, we are expressing our awareness ‘that the enemy can do nothing against us unless God has allowed it beforehand, so that our fear, our devotion and our worship may be directed to God – because the Evil One is not permitted to do anything unless he is given authorization’ (De dominica oratione 25; CSEL III, 25, p.285f).
And then, pondering the psychological pattern of temptation, he explains that there can be two different reasons why God grants the Evil One a limited power. It can be as a penance for us, in order to dampen our pride, so that we may reexperience the paltriness of our faith, hope, and love and avoid forming too high an opinion of ourselves….But should it not put us in mind of the fact that God has placed a particularly heavy burden on the shoulders of those individuals who were especially close to him, the great saints, from Anthony in his desert to Therese of Lisieux in the pious world of her Carmelite monastery? They follow in the footsteps of Job, so to speak; they offer an apologia for man that is at the same time a defense of God. Even more, they enjoy a very special communion with Jesus Christ, who suffered our temptations to the bitter end. They are called to withstand the temptations of a particular time in their own skin, as it were, in their own souls. They are called to bear them through to the end for us ordinary souls and to help us persist on our way to the One who took upon himself the burden of us all.”
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Promises of Mary, Mother of God
Happy New Year!! Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. At Mass this morning, I encouraged all to pray the rosary every day. The following are the fifteen promises that Mary has given to Christians who recite the rosary (as found on americancatholic.org):
Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.
I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.
The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the heart of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify them- selves by this means.
The soul which recommend itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have forintercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
All who recite the rosary are my son, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ
Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.
I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.
The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the heart of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify them- selves by this means.
The soul which recommend itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have forintercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
All who recite the rosary are my son, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ
Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Feast of the Holy Family - homily
December has been a great month here at St. Andrew’s. It really has been impressive to see our parish family make such a good Advent preparing the Birth of Christ. Many people came out for Friday night Adoration, during our Advent series. Also, there were many who used the sacrament of Reconciliation during the month. There should have been a lot more, but I heard many beautiful confessions. Hearing confessions is my favorite part of being a priest, so this has been my favorite month here. Of course, we also had so many people coming out for the Christmas masses, some of our family members who we hadn’t seen for a while. We have a great parish family, and it has definitely been felt this past month. I think it all starts at the top with our spiritual father, Fr. Mike. He is a great shepherd! He is also very cool – when the Redskins won last week, he immediately offered to take my 6 pm Mass tonight so that I could, ahem, watch today's game. Pastor of the year!
It’s fitting that we talk about our parish family on today’s feast of the Holy Family. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is the model for all families. Now, the wives who are here are especially promoting this as the model because of the situation between the wife (Mary) and the husband (Joseph) – a perfect wife who has to continually deal with the imperfections of her husband! I can hear you ladies now saying, “That’s what I’m talking about”! And, I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy for Joseph to deal with Mary’s perfection!
The Holy Family is the model for all Christian families because they lived out the virtues on a consistent basis. They lived charity, generosity, kindness, and all the virtues. Underlying all of this was a mutual respect for each other. Mary and Joseph had profound respect for the other and Jesus, and Jesus was respectful and obedient to his parents. This point about respect is highlighted by the Church as well as Scripture. If we read about the family in the Catechism of our Church, we see that respect among family members is among the most important qualities of a Christian family. In our second reading today, St. Paul is stressing that husbands and wives should respect one another, and that children should be respectful of their parents in obedience. I would also add that parents should respect their kids; many parents of teenagers have come to me when problems arise, and I emphasize to them that they remind their teens of the respect and trust they have for them. Respect is to be mutual with all family members.
The families at St. Andrew’s seem to get all of this! You all respect for and love one another! I have seen many examples of this. I have seen families come out and serve the parish together. So many families come to Mass here together which is becoming more of a rarity in our world. Families have fun here together. And, families pray together; we have had many families attend Friday night Adoration together. One of the biggest slogans of the Church regarding families is “the family that prays together stays together”. We have such a great parish family because we have so many great individual families.
Finally, one of our parents recently told me how strict she is with her family's nightly meal. We are equally as firm with our parish family's weekly meal, the Eucharist. We all need to come here every Sunday for our family meal. We are not whole whenever we have empty seats in Church; it’s like having empty chairs at the dinner table. If we know those who take a week or two or maybe more off from coming here, we should invite them to join us every week so that we can be united around the table of the Lord. As we receive our spiritual food – the Body and Blood of our Lord – let us leave here and imitate the love and respect of the Holy Family. In doing so, let us imitate the love and respect of the Most Holy Family – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
It’s fitting that we talk about our parish family on today’s feast of the Holy Family. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is the model for all families. Now, the wives who are here are especially promoting this as the model because of the situation between the wife (Mary) and the husband (Joseph) – a perfect wife who has to continually deal with the imperfections of her husband! I can hear you ladies now saying, “That’s what I’m talking about”! And, I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy for Joseph to deal with Mary’s perfection!
The Holy Family is the model for all Christian families because they lived out the virtues on a consistent basis. They lived charity, generosity, kindness, and all the virtues. Underlying all of this was a mutual respect for each other. Mary and Joseph had profound respect for the other and Jesus, and Jesus was respectful and obedient to his parents. This point about respect is highlighted by the Church as well as Scripture. If we read about the family in the Catechism of our Church, we see that respect among family members is among the most important qualities of a Christian family. In our second reading today, St. Paul is stressing that husbands and wives should respect one another, and that children should be respectful of their parents in obedience. I would also add that parents should respect their kids; many parents of teenagers have come to me when problems arise, and I emphasize to them that they remind their teens of the respect and trust they have for them. Respect is to be mutual with all family members.
The families at St. Andrew’s seem to get all of this! You all respect for and love one another! I have seen many examples of this. I have seen families come out and serve the parish together. So many families come to Mass here together which is becoming more of a rarity in our world. Families have fun here together. And, families pray together; we have had many families attend Friday night Adoration together. One of the biggest slogans of the Church regarding families is “the family that prays together stays together”. We have such a great parish family because we have so many great individual families.
Finally, one of our parents recently told me how strict she is with her family's nightly meal. We are equally as firm with our parish family's weekly meal, the Eucharist. We all need to come here every Sunday for our family meal. We are not whole whenever we have empty seats in Church; it’s like having empty chairs at the dinner table. If we know those who take a week or two or maybe more off from coming here, we should invite them to join us every week so that we can be united around the table of the Lord. As we receive our spiritual food – the Body and Blood of our Lord – let us leave here and imitate the love and respect of the Holy Family. In doing so, let us imitate the love and respect of the Most Holy Family – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.
Friday, December 28, 2007
"The kingdom of God is like..."
Dec 21 talk – Parables of Jesus - “The kingdom of God is like…”
I. Welcome (to newcomers)
- to Adoration
- to Advent series
II. Parables
- teach about the kingdom of God
- show religious genius
- the most prominent form of Jesus’ teaching
- surprising, mysterious, hidden
- Jesus wants to show that the kingdom is hidden
- “kingdom of God is like…”
- uses ambiguous images
- reveals to Apostles; keeps hidden from people b/c kingdom is hidden
- doesn’t want to make crystal-clear; need faith
“let those who have ears hear”
- know how to interpret parable
- familiar + unfamiliar
- Jesus speaks about the unfamiliar (kingdom) by using familiar images (treasure, pearl, feast, e.g.)
- tries to teach people about something they don’t know by using things they do know
- meets them on their level and raises them up
- conversion
- through some parables, Jesus introduces a new way of thinking
- see things as God sees them
- workers in the vineyard, e.g.
- God’s generosity + mercy
- grace is a gift, not something you earn
- kingdom is here, but is also outstanding
- present and future
- if it’s totally present, Jesus could present it crystal-clear
- but it’s still mysterious
III. Themes / understandings of some parables
- what Heaven is like:
a. buried treasure (Cantalamessa)
b. a great pearl
c. a wedding feast (Cana, Ephesians, Revelation)
- Prodigal Son
- Confession / Reconciliation
- Pope Benedict XVI
- “all I have is yours” (Lk 15:31) – father of prog. son
- is equivalent to what Jesus says in his high-priestly prayer to the Father in Jn 17:10- “all I have is yours and all you have is mine”
- mustard seed
- faith (individual)
- Church
- the unmerciful servant
- forgiveness + God’s forgiveness
- “forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass
against us”
- i.e., if we don’t forgive others, then God won’t forgive us
IV. Parables + Eucharist
- any speak directly about the Eucharist? No
- but, many definitely refer indirectly to it
- treasure hidden in the field
The Eucharist is the greatest treasure on earth
I. Welcome (to newcomers)
- to Adoration
- to Advent series
II. Parables
- teach about the kingdom of God
- show religious genius
- the most prominent form of Jesus’ teaching
- surprising, mysterious, hidden
- Jesus wants to show that the kingdom is hidden
- “kingdom of God is like…”
- uses ambiguous images
- reveals to Apostles; keeps hidden from people b/c kingdom is hidden
- doesn’t want to make crystal-clear; need faith
“let those who have ears hear”
- know how to interpret parable
- familiar + unfamiliar
- Jesus speaks about the unfamiliar (kingdom) by using familiar images (treasure, pearl, feast, e.g.)
- tries to teach people about something they don’t know by using things they do know
- meets them on their level and raises them up
- conversion
- through some parables, Jesus introduces a new way of thinking
- see things as God sees them
- workers in the vineyard, e.g.
- God’s generosity + mercy
- grace is a gift, not something you earn
- kingdom is here, but is also outstanding
- present and future
- if it’s totally present, Jesus could present it crystal-clear
- but it’s still mysterious
III. Themes / understandings of some parables
- what Heaven is like:
a. buried treasure (Cantalamessa)
b. a great pearl
c. a wedding feast (Cana, Ephesians, Revelation)
- Prodigal Son
- Confession / Reconciliation
- Pope Benedict XVI
- “all I have is yours” (Lk 15:31) – father of prog. son
- is equivalent to what Jesus says in his high-priestly prayer to the Father in Jn 17:10- “all I have is yours and all you have is mine”
- mustard seed
- faith (individual)
- Church
- the unmerciful servant
- forgiveness + God’s forgiveness
- “forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass
against us”
- i.e., if we don’t forgive others, then God won’t forgive us
IV. Parables + Eucharist
- any speak directly about the Eucharist? No
- but, many definitely refer indirectly to it
- treasure hidden in the field
The Eucharist is the greatest treasure on earth
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!!
Here is my homily from last night's Vigil Mass:
A few weeks ago on a Saturday evening, I returned to the rectory after hearing confessions. It was about 5 pm, and I had about a half an hour to relax before the next activity. I turned on the TV, hoping to find some sports on, maybe college basketball. And, there was nothing good on! We have the basic cable service which is now like 800 channels, and nothing good on! Of course, now with the Redskins making a playoff charge (yeah, Skins!), there is plenty of fantastic stuff on these days.
So, I get to the movie channels, and see that “The Nativity Story” is showing. I don’t know how many of you have seen it but I’ve always heard great things about this movie. Now, I was just looking to relax and take a short break from religious stuff. But, then I began to think, ‘you know, I am a priest, I probably should watch this’. It was about halfway over, but what I saw was really powerful. It was a beautiful depiction of the feast we celebrate today. I especially was moved by the wise men who were older men and very much respected for their wisdom. They had come from so far away to worship a baby, a little kid! Then, of course, there’s Mary and Joseph who went through so much to have Jesus born. And, the light that shines down from heaven on the manger scene…oh, if I just ruined the ending to those who haven’t seen the movie, I apologize. It was so powerful that I just lost it. I was balling, saying, ‘Lord, this isn’t fair. I’m just trying to relax here’. The magi really moved me. They had come to worship a kid, “the one who would save his people from their sins”.
Now, I haven’t always been interested in movies like this. Growing up, I would get into “Jesus of Nazareth” during Holy Week but that’s about it. I was raised Catholic, went to Church on Sundays, and attended Catholic schools. But, I never really ‘got it’ about faith. In fact, I was pretty clueless. I didn’t have much of a relationship with God; I only talked to Him when I needed something. Looking back on the first twenty years of my life, there wasn’t really a friendship there with Christ. I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t know Him. It wasn’t until I began to get to know Him that our faith became real to me.
There are some here today who haven’t been to Church in a while. To you I say, welcome. You are always welcome here. There are some who are struggling in their faith, questioning their faith, maybe asking, ‘what’s the point?’ or saying, ‘I can’t relate to any of this’. Wherever we are in our faith, I would suggest looking at your friendship with Christ. That’s where it all starts. The Catholic Church herself says that it’s not about a religion, it’s about a person, Jesus Christ. If there’s no friendship with Christ, then this is all pointless. But, when we get to know Christ, that’s when it becomes personal. That’s when it becomes real. He saves me from my sins. He wants to have a friendship with each one of us.
Many of you know that it started with the Eucharist for me. For whatever reason, I thought for the first twenty years of my life that the Eucharist was just a symbol, just a piece of bread. It wasn’t until I was twenty one that I got it. A priest said to me, “Greg, ‘this is my body’ means this is my body”. It was then that I realized, ‘wow, we really believe this. We really believe that the bread and wine is really Jesus’ Body and Blood’. The Church has believed from day one that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It’s really Him!
One of the first prayers that I said to Jesus when I began my friendship with Him was, “Lord, I am sorry. I didn’t know”. I thought about all of those times I had received Holy Communion and had done who-knows-what the night before. “I’m sorry, Lord”. There are many who feel that they can’t even approach Christ because of things they have done in the past. Nonsense. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus invites us to come to Him, no matter what we’ve done. If there are serious sins from our past, we can go to Confession, and get them cleared up quickly. Our Lord truly wants us to come to Him in friendship.
Now, if this is true about the Eucharist, that the Lord will be in front of us in a few minutes, then we have the same opportunity that the wise men, the shepherd, Mary and Joseph had at the Nativity scene. We will be able to see our Lord who will be born on this altar in a few minutes. Like the wise men, we have “come to worship Him”. Through the eyes of faith, we will worship our Lord and Savior. We will see the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, the reason for the season. We will see our Lord, our Savior, our friend, Jesus Christ.
A few weeks ago on a Saturday evening, I returned to the rectory after hearing confessions. It was about 5 pm, and I had about a half an hour to relax before the next activity. I turned on the TV, hoping to find some sports on, maybe college basketball. And, there was nothing good on! We have the basic cable service which is now like 800 channels, and nothing good on! Of course, now with the Redskins making a playoff charge (yeah, Skins!), there is plenty of fantastic stuff on these days.
So, I get to the movie channels, and see that “The Nativity Story” is showing. I don’t know how many of you have seen it but I’ve always heard great things about this movie. Now, I was just looking to relax and take a short break from religious stuff. But, then I began to think, ‘you know, I am a priest, I probably should watch this’. It was about halfway over, but what I saw was really powerful. It was a beautiful depiction of the feast we celebrate today. I especially was moved by the wise men who were older men and very much respected for their wisdom. They had come from so far away to worship a baby, a little kid! Then, of course, there’s Mary and Joseph who went through so much to have Jesus born. And, the light that shines down from heaven on the manger scene…oh, if I just ruined the ending to those who haven’t seen the movie, I apologize. It was so powerful that I just lost it. I was balling, saying, ‘Lord, this isn’t fair. I’m just trying to relax here’. The magi really moved me. They had come to worship a kid, “the one who would save his people from their sins”.
Now, I haven’t always been interested in movies like this. Growing up, I would get into “Jesus of Nazareth” during Holy Week but that’s about it. I was raised Catholic, went to Church on Sundays, and attended Catholic schools. But, I never really ‘got it’ about faith. In fact, I was pretty clueless. I didn’t have much of a relationship with God; I only talked to Him when I needed something. Looking back on the first twenty years of my life, there wasn’t really a friendship there with Christ. I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t know Him. It wasn’t until I began to get to know Him that our faith became real to me.
There are some here today who haven’t been to Church in a while. To you I say, welcome. You are always welcome here. There are some who are struggling in their faith, questioning their faith, maybe asking, ‘what’s the point?’ or saying, ‘I can’t relate to any of this’. Wherever we are in our faith, I would suggest looking at your friendship with Christ. That’s where it all starts. The Catholic Church herself says that it’s not about a religion, it’s about a person, Jesus Christ. If there’s no friendship with Christ, then this is all pointless. But, when we get to know Christ, that’s when it becomes personal. That’s when it becomes real. He saves me from my sins. He wants to have a friendship with each one of us.
Many of you know that it started with the Eucharist for me. For whatever reason, I thought for the first twenty years of my life that the Eucharist was just a symbol, just a piece of bread. It wasn’t until I was twenty one that I got it. A priest said to me, “Greg, ‘this is my body’ means this is my body”. It was then that I realized, ‘wow, we really believe this. We really believe that the bread and wine is really Jesus’ Body and Blood’. The Church has believed from day one that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It’s really Him!
One of the first prayers that I said to Jesus when I began my friendship with Him was, “Lord, I am sorry. I didn’t know”. I thought about all of those times I had received Holy Communion and had done who-knows-what the night before. “I’m sorry, Lord”. There are many who feel that they can’t even approach Christ because of things they have done in the past. Nonsense. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus invites us to come to Him, no matter what we’ve done. If there are serious sins from our past, we can go to Confession, and get them cleared up quickly. Our Lord truly wants us to come to Him in friendship.
Now, if this is true about the Eucharist, that the Lord will be in front of us in a few minutes, then we have the same opportunity that the wise men, the shepherd, Mary and Joseph had at the Nativity scene. We will be able to see our Lord who will be born on this altar in a few minutes. Like the wise men, we have “come to worship Him”. Through the eyes of faith, we will worship our Lord and Savior. We will see the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, the reason for the season. We will see our Lord, our Savior, our friend, Jesus Christ.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
4th Sunday of Advent - homily
Last week I celebrated Mass at the nursing home on Arcola (Avenue) which I do once a month; it is one of the highlights of my month. I take my Mass kit and vestments down there and celebrate Mass with about twenty of the residents. They are elderly and ill but have a great spirit about them. So, the other day, I was getting ready for Mass. I put on this purple (technically, it’s violet) vestment. As I was doing that, I began to hear some murmurs. Tension seemed to be filling the room. I immediately made a disclaimer, saying, “folks, don’t worry. This is not for the Minnesota Vikings (who wear purple and play the Redskins tonight)!”
Now, I have to something to say that you may not want to hear. I do not pray for the Redskins to win. People come up to me after they lose and blame me for not praying hard enough and congratulate me on a job well done when they win. I don’t pray for them to win but I do pray for no injuries. You see how fruitful that has been this year! I hope the boys win tonight. If they do, three words: WE WANT DALLAS!
Maybe it’s just me and maybe this is a bit dramatic, but when I hear today’s Gospel, I think, ‘what a mess!’ We just heard Matthew’s narrative of the birth of Jesus and it’s not what we would expect to hear about how the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace came into the world. There’s talk of divorce among Jesus’ parents. Mary is pregnant from someone other than Joseph. And, an angel has to get involved so that Joseph won’t split.
Of course, Mary and Jesus live God’s Plan perfectly and Joseph is obedient to God through the angel, but this doesn’t sound like the perfect plan. It’s a mess which is the human condition. This would continue throughout Jesus’ life. When he was twelve, he was separated from his parents for three days. As an adult, he was widely rejected by his people and even one of his Apostles. His death was a mess, too; he literally became a bloody mess. Even the four Gospel accounts are not lined up perfectly and have several inconsistencies.
So, what is going on here? First, if everything in and around Jesus’ life was perfect, if everything has worked out perfectly, then we would raise some red flags. We wouldn’t be able to identify with that and would doubt it. The imperfections actually show us that it probably did happen the way it has been reported. We can identify with the imperfections. Second, God enters into the mess. He is not above it; He actually comes right in the midst of it. In his birth, He comes into the mess. In his death, he becomes the mess; he becomes sin which is our mess.
We all come here tonight thinking of the mess in our homes. There is much food to cook, many presents to wrap, and many family gatherings to attend. Christmas can be a real mess! On a deeper level, we have the mess of family problems, conflicts, and tensions. As we consider and deal with all of this mess during Christmas, let us think that God wants to enter into our mess. He wants to be in the midst of it so that he can clean up our mess.
In a very real way, we have the same situation in the Eucharist that those who witnessed the Birth of Christ had two thousand years ago. Jesus will be “born” on this altar in a few minutes. He will come into our mess, and get right in the middle of it. As we receive our Lord today, let us receive his peace amid our mess and stress. May each one of us know his peace, joy, love, and hope throughout the Christmas season.
Now, I have to something to say that you may not want to hear. I do not pray for the Redskins to win. People come up to me after they lose and blame me for not praying hard enough and congratulate me on a job well done when they win. I don’t pray for them to win but I do pray for no injuries. You see how fruitful that has been this year! I hope the boys win tonight. If they do, three words: WE WANT DALLAS!
Maybe it’s just me and maybe this is a bit dramatic, but when I hear today’s Gospel, I think, ‘what a mess!’ We just heard Matthew’s narrative of the birth of Jesus and it’s not what we would expect to hear about how the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Prince of Peace came into the world. There’s talk of divorce among Jesus’ parents. Mary is pregnant from someone other than Joseph. And, an angel has to get involved so that Joseph won’t split.
Of course, Mary and Jesus live God’s Plan perfectly and Joseph is obedient to God through the angel, but this doesn’t sound like the perfect plan. It’s a mess which is the human condition. This would continue throughout Jesus’ life. When he was twelve, he was separated from his parents for three days. As an adult, he was widely rejected by his people and even one of his Apostles. His death was a mess, too; he literally became a bloody mess. Even the four Gospel accounts are not lined up perfectly and have several inconsistencies.
So, what is going on here? First, if everything in and around Jesus’ life was perfect, if everything has worked out perfectly, then we would raise some red flags. We wouldn’t be able to identify with that and would doubt it. The imperfections actually show us that it probably did happen the way it has been reported. We can identify with the imperfections. Second, God enters into the mess. He is not above it; He actually comes right in the midst of it. In his birth, He comes into the mess. In his death, he becomes the mess; he becomes sin which is our mess.
We all come here tonight thinking of the mess in our homes. There is much food to cook, many presents to wrap, and many family gatherings to attend. Christmas can be a real mess! On a deeper level, we have the mess of family problems, conflicts, and tensions. As we consider and deal with all of this mess during Christmas, let us think that God wants to enter into our mess. He wants to be in the midst of it so that he can clean up our mess.
In a very real way, we have the same situation in the Eucharist that those who witnessed the Birth of Christ had two thousand years ago. Jesus will be “born” on this altar in a few minutes. He will come into our mess, and get right in the middle of it. As we receive our Lord today, let us receive his peace amid our mess and stress. May each one of us know his peace, joy, love, and hope throughout the Christmas season.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Young Adult activities
1) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Tonight is the final night of our series on “The Person of Christ”. The hour will include live music and a reflection on the parables of Jesus. All who wish to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament are invited!!
2) Fr. Mike and I will be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Church confessionals tomorrow (12/22) from 4-5 pm and Monday (12/24) from 10 am – 12 noon.
-------------------------------------
Bethany M. asked, “Does Saint Andrews have any activities aimed at Catholics in their 20s? I was looking through the site and couldn't find a section for twenty-somes but was hopeful that I was just not seeing what was there. If Saint Andrews doesn't, does the diocese?Thanks.”
Thank you, Bethany! I recently sent an email to our Young Adults (20s and 30s) about upcoming YA events at St Andrew’s; the (applicable) info is below. Also, Fran posted the number for the YA coordinator for the Archdiocese. Finally, St. John the Baptist parish in Silver Spring offers regular events for their YAs; you can contact the coordinator of their group, Dennis, at 301-622-1122.
1) Coed flag football, Saturdays, 11 am, athletic field
2) Live music + prayer – Dec 21, 7 pm, Church
We do Adoration every Friday night, but are doing it in a special way during Advent. We will have live music for part of the hour, and I will offer a brief reflection. One parishioner wrote about Adoration recently that it is "Amazing, Inspiring, Beautiful, Powerful, Awesome, Life Altering.... Go! You will be so happy you did." It is AWESOME!
Drinks at a local establishment afterwards are on me for anyone who comes to Adoration (even for just a few minutes)!
3) Mount 2008, Feb 8-10. This is a retreat at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg (Md.) for high school and college age students. It's about 1500 who attend from all over the country. There will be music, talks, Mass, Adoration, Confessions, prayer, workshops, etc. It is an AWESOME weekend! The cost is $55 (St A's can help if cost is a problem). I can send registration forms to anyone who's interested.
4) Red Cross in need of blood
One of our YAs wrote the following to me the other day: "Red Cross is in bad need of blood donations right now. Think you could pass the word on and get some more people to stop by donor centers soon to drop off a pint? There's one really close by in Rockville that's easy to get to. And even those who gave the double batch of cells in August are free to donate now."
2) Fr. Mike and I will be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Church confessionals tomorrow (12/22) from 4-5 pm and Monday (12/24) from 10 am – 12 noon.
-------------------------------------
Bethany M. asked, “Does Saint Andrews have any activities aimed at Catholics in their 20s? I was looking through the site and couldn't find a section for twenty-somes but was hopeful that I was just not seeing what was there. If Saint Andrews doesn't, does the diocese?Thanks.”
Thank you, Bethany! I recently sent an email to our Young Adults (20s and 30s) about upcoming YA events at St Andrew’s; the (applicable) info is below. Also, Fran posted the number for the YA coordinator for the Archdiocese. Finally, St. John the Baptist parish in Silver Spring offers regular events for their YAs; you can contact the coordinator of their group, Dennis, at 301-622-1122.
1) Coed flag football, Saturdays, 11 am, athletic field
2) Live music + prayer – Dec 21, 7 pm, Church
We do Adoration every Friday night, but are doing it in a special way during Advent. We will have live music for part of the hour, and I will offer a brief reflection. One parishioner wrote about Adoration recently that it is "Amazing, Inspiring, Beautiful, Powerful, Awesome, Life Altering.... Go! You will be so happy you did." It is AWESOME!
Drinks at a local establishment afterwards are on me for anyone who comes to Adoration (even for just a few minutes)!
3) Mount 2008, Feb 8-10. This is a retreat at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg (Md.) for high school and college age students. It's about 1500 who attend from all over the country. There will be music, talks, Mass, Adoration, Confessions, prayer, workshops, etc. It is an AWESOME weekend! The cost is $55 (St A's can help if cost is a problem). I can send registration forms to anyone who's interested.
4) Red Cross in need of blood
One of our YAs wrote the following to me the other day: "Red Cross is in bad need of blood donations right now. Think you could pass the word on and get some more people to stop by donor centers soon to drop off a pint? There's one really close by in Rockville that's easy to get to. And even those who gave the double batch of cells in August are free to donate now."
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Miracles of Christ
Parish Penance Service - tonight, 7:30 pm, SAA Church
The service will include readings, a homily, and a public examination of conscience. Then, there will be several (visiting!) priests here to hear individual confessions. Please encourage others to take advantage of this opportunity to receive God's Mercy, and pray for a good turnout of St A's parishioners!
-------------------------
Here are my notes from Friday night's reflection on the miracles of Christ:
I. Welcome (to newcomers)
- to Adoration
- to Advent series
- Ed Becker
II. Defining a miracle
- an event in which a change in the laws of nature is picked up by our senses
- can be scientifically measured & recorded
- doesn’t take faith to acknowledge that it happened; everyone can see
- e.g.: Jesus turns water into wine
III. We need faith to “see as” a miracle
- faith leads to “miracle” OR miracle leads to faith
- Jesus didn’t do miracles just to show his power; if so, would have done them 24/7
- Did them to help people in their faith
- faith: see reality as it is
- faith w/ miracles: see the Christ who is in your midst
- faith of people who witnessed miracles??
faith in the miracles / signs OR faith in Jesus (saw Jesus as wonder-worker only, not Messiah)
- one day: King- five days later, Crucify Him!
IV. Miracles are signs of
1) the Kingdom ; they prepare us for the Kingdom
- present Kingdom (kingdom is near) AND
future kingdom (down payment / glimpse of God’s glory)
2) personal authority of Jesus
- He’s the One who works the miracle
- his identity is unavoidable; know the kingdom of God is among you(in Jesus)
V. Example – cure of a paralytic
“they were all amazed and praised God and were filled with awe” (Lk 5)
1) awareness and acknowledgement of the kingdom in Jesus
2) awareness of his authority
VI. Are the sacraments miracles?
- technically no
- miracles are like the sacraments - point to a deeper reality
- but differ from the sacr. in that changes are not picked up by the senses
- bread still looks like bread; wine looks like wine (sacr.)
- water looks like wine (miracle)
- sacraments – supernatural change takes place (transubstantiation, e.g.)
- miracles – natural change takes place
VII. Modern miracles (Eucharist)
- Jesus continues to help our faith
1) In 1263 - Orvieto, Italy
- a German priest who doubted the Real Presence saw drops of blood seep from the Eucharist onto the altar and corporal
- Pope Urban IV was in the town next to the priest; the priest took the corporal to the Pope who declared it a miracle (a miracle itself?, knowing how long the modern Church takes to declare a miracle!)
-The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto.
2) 1730, Italy
- thieves broke into the deserted Church of St. Francis, took the golden ciborium which contained the consecrated Host, and dumped the Hosts in a poor box
- priests found the Hosts two days later in the rarely used, dusty poor box; hosts covered by cobwebs
- hosts were carefully cleaned and placed back in tabernacle; priests expected hosts to deteriorate which bread would normally do
- over 250 years later, Hosts are still completely in tact, shiny, fresh, and maintained the scent of unleavened hosts
- other unconsecrated hosts have been placed in the tabernacle and have decayed and been disfigured
- St Peter’s YG at this miracle
– 50 teens on their knees“greatest reverence of the Eucharist I’ve ever seen” (YG priest)
- helps our faith in the Real Presence
The service will include readings, a homily, and a public examination of conscience. Then, there will be several (visiting!) priests here to hear individual confessions. Please encourage others to take advantage of this opportunity to receive God's Mercy, and pray for a good turnout of St A's parishioners!
-------------------------
Here are my notes from Friday night's reflection on the miracles of Christ:
I. Welcome (to newcomers)
- to Adoration
- to Advent series
- Ed Becker
II. Defining a miracle
- an event in which a change in the laws of nature is picked up by our senses
- can be scientifically measured & recorded
- doesn’t take faith to acknowledge that it happened; everyone can see
- e.g.: Jesus turns water into wine
III. We need faith to “see as” a miracle
- faith leads to “miracle” OR miracle leads to faith
- Jesus didn’t do miracles just to show his power; if so, would have done them 24/7
- Did them to help people in their faith
- faith: see reality as it is
- faith w/ miracles: see the Christ who is in your midst
- faith of people who witnessed miracles??
faith in the miracles / signs OR faith in Jesus (saw Jesus as wonder-worker only, not Messiah)
- one day: King- five days later, Crucify Him!
IV. Miracles are signs of
1) the Kingdom ; they prepare us for the Kingdom
- present Kingdom (kingdom is near) AND
future kingdom (down payment / glimpse of God’s glory)
2) personal authority of Jesus
- He’s the One who works the miracle
- his identity is unavoidable; know the kingdom of God is among you(in Jesus)
V. Example – cure of a paralytic
“they were all amazed and praised God and were filled with awe” (Lk 5)
1) awareness and acknowledgement of the kingdom in Jesus
2) awareness of his authority
VI. Are the sacraments miracles?
- technically no
- miracles are like the sacraments - point to a deeper reality
- but differ from the sacr. in that changes are not picked up by the senses
- bread still looks like bread; wine looks like wine (sacr.)
- water looks like wine (miracle)
- sacraments – supernatural change takes place (transubstantiation, e.g.)
- miracles – natural change takes place
VII. Modern miracles (Eucharist)
- Jesus continues to help our faith
1) In 1263 - Orvieto, Italy
- a German priest who doubted the Real Presence saw drops of blood seep from the Eucharist onto the altar and corporal
- Pope Urban IV was in the town next to the priest; the priest took the corporal to the Pope who declared it a miracle (a miracle itself?, knowing how long the modern Church takes to declare a miracle!)
-The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto.
2) 1730, Italy
- thieves broke into the deserted Church of St. Francis, took the golden ciborium which contained the consecrated Host, and dumped the Hosts in a poor box
- priests found the Hosts two days later in the rarely used, dusty poor box; hosts covered by cobwebs
- hosts were carefully cleaned and placed back in tabernacle; priests expected hosts to deteriorate which bread would normally do
- over 250 years later, Hosts are still completely in tact, shiny, fresh, and maintained the scent of unleavened hosts
- other unconsecrated hosts have been placed in the tabernacle and have decayed and been disfigured
- St Peter’s YG at this miracle
– 50 teens on their knees“greatest reverence of the Eucharist I’ve ever seen” (YG priest)
- helps our faith in the Real Presence
Sunday, December 16, 2007
3rd Sunday of Advent - meditation
The following are excerpts from a meditation by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Pontifical Household preacher, as found on zenit.org:
The most complete text in which Jesus reflects on his relationship to John the Baptist is the Gospel passage that the liturgy has us read next Sunday at Mass. John, in prison, sends his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who must come or should we wait for another?" (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7:19-23).
The preaching of the Rabbi of Nazareth whom he himself had baptized and presented to Israel seems to John to go in a very different direction from the fiery one that he had expected. More than the imminent judgment of God, he preaches the mercy that is present, offered to all, righteous and sinners.
The most significant part of the whole text is the praise that Jesus offers of John after he had answered the question posed by John's disciples: "Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet [...]. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear" (Matthew 11:11-15).
One thing is made plain by these words: Between the mission of John the Baptist and that of Jesus something so decisive has happened that it constitutes a parting of the waters, so to speak, between two epochs. The focus of history has shifted: That which is important is not in a more or less imminent future but "here and now," that kingdom that is already operative in Christ. Between John's preaching and the preaching of Jesus there is a qualitative leap: The littlest one of the new order is superior to the greatest one of the old order.
The occurrence of this epochal turning point is confirmed in many other contexts in the Gospel. We only need recall such words of Jesus as: "Behold, there is one here greater than Jonah. [...] Behold, there is one here greater than Solomon!" (Matthew 12:41-42). "Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. Truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see and did not see it, and longed to hear what you hear and did not hear it!" (Matthew 13:16-17). All of the so-called parables of the kingdom -- one thinks of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price -- at bottom express the same idea, always in a new and different way: With Jesus, history's decisive hour has struck, in his presence the decision that determines salvation imposes itself.
It was this claim that brought Bultmann's disciples to break with the master. Bultmann included Jesus in Judaism, making him a premise of Christianity but not yet a Christian; he attributed the great turning point to the faith of the post-Easter community. Bornkamm and Conzelmann realized the impossibility of this thesis: The "epochal turning point" already happened in Jesus' preaching. John belonged to the premises and the preparation, but with Jesus we are already in the time of fulfillment.
In his book "Jesus of Nazareth," the Holy Father confirms this conclusion of the most serious and up-to-date exegesis. He writes: "For such a radical collision to occur, provoking the radical step of handing Jesus over to the Romans, something dramatic must have been said or done. The great and stirring events come right at the beginning; the nascent Church could only slowly come to appreciate their full significance, which she came to grasp as, in 'remembering' them, she gradually thought through and reflected on these events [...]. No, the greatness, the dramatic newness, comes directly from Jesus; within the faith and life of the community it is further developed, but not created. In fact, the 'community' would not have even emerged or survived at all unless some extraordinary reality had preceded it."[2]
In Luke's theology it is evident that Jesus occupies the "center of time." With his coming he divided history in two parts, creating an absolute "before" and "after." Today it is becoming common practice, especially in the secular media, to abandon the traditional way of dating events "before Christ" or "after Christ" ("ante Christum natum e post Christum natum") in favor of the more neutral formula of "before the common era" and "common era." It was a decision motivated by a desire not to offend the sensibilities of people and other religions who do not use Christian chronology; in that regard it should be respected, but for Christians there is no question of the decisive role that Christ's coming plays in the religious history of humanity.
The most complete text in which Jesus reflects on his relationship to John the Baptist is the Gospel passage that the liturgy has us read next Sunday at Mass. John, in prison, sends his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who must come or should we wait for another?" (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7:19-23).
The preaching of the Rabbi of Nazareth whom he himself had baptized and presented to Israel seems to John to go in a very different direction from the fiery one that he had expected. More than the imminent judgment of God, he preaches the mercy that is present, offered to all, righteous and sinners.
The most significant part of the whole text is the praise that Jesus offers of John after he had answered the question posed by John's disciples: "Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet [...]. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear" (Matthew 11:11-15).
One thing is made plain by these words: Between the mission of John the Baptist and that of Jesus something so decisive has happened that it constitutes a parting of the waters, so to speak, between two epochs. The focus of history has shifted: That which is important is not in a more or less imminent future but "here and now," that kingdom that is already operative in Christ. Between John's preaching and the preaching of Jesus there is a qualitative leap: The littlest one of the new order is superior to the greatest one of the old order.
The occurrence of this epochal turning point is confirmed in many other contexts in the Gospel. We only need recall such words of Jesus as: "Behold, there is one here greater than Jonah. [...] Behold, there is one here greater than Solomon!" (Matthew 12:41-42). "Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. Truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see and did not see it, and longed to hear what you hear and did not hear it!" (Matthew 13:16-17). All of the so-called parables of the kingdom -- one thinks of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price -- at bottom express the same idea, always in a new and different way: With Jesus, history's decisive hour has struck, in his presence the decision that determines salvation imposes itself.
It was this claim that brought Bultmann's disciples to break with the master. Bultmann included Jesus in Judaism, making him a premise of Christianity but not yet a Christian; he attributed the great turning point to the faith of the post-Easter community. Bornkamm and Conzelmann realized the impossibility of this thesis: The "epochal turning point" already happened in Jesus' preaching. John belonged to the premises and the preparation, but with Jesus we are already in the time of fulfillment.
In his book "Jesus of Nazareth," the Holy Father confirms this conclusion of the most serious and up-to-date exegesis. He writes: "For such a radical collision to occur, provoking the radical step of handing Jesus over to the Romans, something dramatic must have been said or done. The great and stirring events come right at the beginning; the nascent Church could only slowly come to appreciate their full significance, which she came to grasp as, in 'remembering' them, she gradually thought through and reflected on these events [...]. No, the greatness, the dramatic newness, comes directly from Jesus; within the faith and life of the community it is further developed, but not created. In fact, the 'community' would not have even emerged or survived at all unless some extraordinary reality had preceded it."[2]
In Luke's theology it is evident that Jesus occupies the "center of time." With his coming he divided history in two parts, creating an absolute "before" and "after." Today it is becoming common practice, especially in the secular media, to abandon the traditional way of dating events "before Christ" or "after Christ" ("ante Christum natum e post Christum natum") in favor of the more neutral formula of "before the common era" and "common era." It was a decision motivated by a desire not to offend the sensibilities of people and other religions who do not use Christian chronology; in that regard it should be respected, but for Christians there is no question of the decisive role that Christ's coming plays in the religious history of humanity.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Parish Penance Service
1) Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All who wish to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament are invited!! Tonight we will have live music (Ed Becker) for part of the hour, and I will offer a brief reflection on the miracles of Christ. You might have seen the recent comment from Fran:
"Adoration is Amazing, Inspiring, Beautiful, Powerful, Awesome, Life Altering...Go! You will be so happy you did".
Please invite 2-3 family members or friends.
2) Parish Penance Service - Tues, Dec 18, 7:30 pm, SAA Church.
The service will include readings, a homily, and a public examination of conscience. Then, there will be several (visiting!) priests here to hear individual confessions. Please encourage others to take advantage of this opportunity to receive God's Mercy, and pray for a good turnout of St A's parishioners!
"Adoration is Amazing, Inspiring, Beautiful, Powerful, Awesome, Life Altering...Go! You will be so happy you did".
Please invite 2-3 family members or friends.
2) Parish Penance Service - Tues, Dec 18, 7:30 pm, SAA Church.
The service will include readings, a homily, and a public examination of conscience. Then, there will be several (visiting!) priests here to hear individual confessions. Please encourage others to take advantage of this opportunity to receive God's Mercy, and pray for a good turnout of St A's parishioners!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
What a night!
What a night last Friday was! We had Adoration before and after the 7:30 Mass (for the Immaculate Conception), with a good-sized crowd showing up well before Mass and many who stayed well after Mass. Live music (by our 6 pm group, "Apostles Lips") was a powerful and welcomed addition to our Adoration experience. It also allowed me the opportunity to offer the sacrament of Reconciliation of which several people took advantage. I've heard that my reflection (on the titles of Jesus) went over well; the notes from the reflection are below.
This Friday night we will continue with the Advent series during Adoration; my reflection will be on the miracles of Christ. Ed Becker will provide the live music; I have played his CDs during Adoration before, and at least a few people have given positive feedback about his music. It will be another great treat to have him!
We will probably follow the same format as last week (minus the break for Mass) - exposition @ 7 pm, music, reflection, quiet prayer, opportunity for confession, music, and benediction. The plan is to finish @ 8ish, but it may go a bit past that, especially if confessions go for a while. Please come for at least a few minutes, and invite 2-3 friends or family members to join us. It's a great way to prepare for the coming of Christ together!
-------------------------------
Advent Series: Person of Christ
Dec 7: Titles of Jesus
I. Welcome
- to Adoration (every Friday)
- to series
II. Informal titles
- friend, teacher, healer
III. Tonight – some of the formal titles
- Christ / Messiah
- Son of Man
- Son of God
IV. Jesus as “Christ”
- “Christ” very much in line with “messiah”
Christ: “anointed”
Messiah: God’s anointed one
- did Jesus think of himself as the messiah?
- he was profoundly conscious of being Messiah
One theologian (Wright) – if there was one thing that Jesus was conscious of, it was that he was the messiah
Mt 16:16ff
- Peter: “you are the Christ”
- not revealed by man, but by Father
- Peter exalted for using this title for Jesus
Paul uses ‘Christ’ constantly in his writings
- from day one
- indicated that Jesus took title himself
V. Jesus as “Son of Man”
- Jesus’s most common way to refer to himself
- as Jesus relates to us
- Mt 16:16ff
– “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve”
- Jesus is the servant of man
- why did God become man?
St Athanasius: “the Son of God became man so that we might become God”
- title has background in Judaism
- Daniel 7:14- Daniel’s vision of one like a “Son of Man” in glory
- compared to John’s vision in apocalyptic literature
-Christ is servant of man, but also judge of all mankind
Mk 14:62 – “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven”
VI. Jesus as “Son of God”
- Son of Man (his relation to us), Son of God (his relation to Father)
- Resurrection is the main clue that he is Son of God
- the question for St Paul and for us
- if raised from dead, he is the Son of God
- the Father is the One who raised the Son from the dead
- Christ refers to himself as “the Son” in relation to God the Father
1) Mt 11: 25-27
“No one knows the Father but the Son…”
2) Mk 12:1-12
-parable of the wicked tenants; implies that Jesus is the son of the king (Father)
- very strong words from Jesus: many thought they were blasphemy
- No one ever called God ‘Father’
- from total abstinence (OT) to total evidence (Jesus)
- new revelation about God: he has one Son, a man
- Jesus is unique Son of God
- Jews believed they were all sons of God
- Jn 5 & 15: Jesus claims to be unique Son of God
- vertical relationship w/ Father: Son of God
- horizontal rel’ship w/ us: Son of Man
- Cross
- fully human, fully divine
VII. Adoration: we are saying to the host in the monstrance:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”
This Friday night we will continue with the Advent series during Adoration; my reflection will be on the miracles of Christ. Ed Becker will provide the live music; I have played his CDs during Adoration before, and at least a few people have given positive feedback about his music. It will be another great treat to have him!
We will probably follow the same format as last week (minus the break for Mass) - exposition @ 7 pm, music, reflection, quiet prayer, opportunity for confession, music, and benediction. The plan is to finish @ 8ish, but it may go a bit past that, especially if confessions go for a while. Please come for at least a few minutes, and invite 2-3 friends or family members to join us. It's a great way to prepare for the coming of Christ together!
-------------------------------
Advent Series: Person of Christ
Dec 7: Titles of Jesus
I. Welcome
- to Adoration (every Friday)
- to series
II. Informal titles
- friend, teacher, healer
III. Tonight – some of the formal titles
- Christ / Messiah
- Son of Man
- Son of God
IV. Jesus as “Christ”
- “Christ” very much in line with “messiah”
Christ: “anointed”
Messiah: God’s anointed one
- did Jesus think of himself as the messiah?
- he was profoundly conscious of being Messiah
One theologian (Wright) – if there was one thing that Jesus was conscious of, it was that he was the messiah
Mt 16:16ff
- Peter: “you are the Christ”
- not revealed by man, but by Father
- Peter exalted for using this title for Jesus
Paul uses ‘Christ’ constantly in his writings
- from day one
- indicated that Jesus took title himself
V. Jesus as “Son of Man”
- Jesus’s most common way to refer to himself
- as Jesus relates to us
- Mt 16:16ff
– “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve”
- Jesus is the servant of man
- why did God become man?
St Athanasius: “the Son of God became man so that we might become God”
- title has background in Judaism
- Daniel 7:14- Daniel’s vision of one like a “Son of Man” in glory
- compared to John’s vision in apocalyptic literature
-Christ is servant of man, but also judge of all mankind
Mk 14:62 – “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven”
VI. Jesus as “Son of God”
- Son of Man (his relation to us), Son of God (his relation to Father)
- Resurrection is the main clue that he is Son of God
- the question for St Paul and for us
- if raised from dead, he is the Son of God
- the Father is the One who raised the Son from the dead
- Christ refers to himself as “the Son” in relation to God the Father
1) Mt 11: 25-27
“No one knows the Father but the Son…”
2) Mk 12:1-12
-parable of the wicked tenants; implies that Jesus is the son of the king (Father)
- very strong words from Jesus: many thought they were blasphemy
- No one ever called God ‘Father’
- from total abstinence (OT) to total evidence (Jesus)
- new revelation about God: he has one Son, a man
- Jesus is unique Son of God
- Jews believed they were all sons of God
- Jn 5 & 15: Jesus claims to be unique Son of God
- vertical relationship w/ Father: Son of God
- horizontal rel’ship w/ us: Son of Man
- Cross
- fully human, fully divine
VII. Adoration: we are saying to the host in the monstrance:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”
Monday, December 10, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Advent, 2nd Sunday - homily
I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that I made a five day retreat last week in New Jersey and it was excellent. The bad news, for your sake, is that it was silent. I didn’t talk to anyone for a week, and now I have some catching up to do! It was a very good week; tough, but good. I was with the Hermits of Bethlehem; it was a priest, religious brothers and sisters. They come together every morning for Mass, and then spend the rest of the day in their tiny little houses which are called hermitages. They do this in silence.
I can live this way for about a week, tops; they do it every day. I was wondering how they do it, but then thought about how sometimes, there are certain passages or lines from Scripture that we think, ‘wow, I would love to meditate on that all day’. And, that’s what the hermits do. They meditate on the Word of God all day, every day. In solitude and in silence. And, believe me, the Word comes alive. God speaks to us in silence. It was a great week, but I’m happy to be back.
But, we were roughin’ it! It wasn’t the diet of John the Baptist – locusts and wild honey – but it was close. We did have a “desert day” which was bread and water only. Yes, St. John the Baptist lived a tough life. Some would say he lived tough love. This scene from the Gospel is an example of that. He is calling out the Pharisees and Sadducees because he doesn’t see any signs of their repentance. Basically, he is calling them out for merely going through the motions of religious rituals. He is saying, ‘guys, get ready! The time is now. Christ is coming! Repent; turn away from sin and turn your hearts to God. Prepare, for the kingdom of God is at hand!’
This prompts the question for each one of us: do I only go through the motions as a Catholic Christian, or have I given my heart to Christ? This is an especially good time to ask ourselves that question as we attend many of our religious rituals during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Are there signs of my repentance, where I’m turning away from sin and turning toward Christ? If so, what are the signs?
One of the most common signs of repentance is prayer – not just formal prayer, but praying to Christ from our heart during the day. Also, good works in our parish, community, and families which are above and beyond the call of duty show that we’ve given our hearts to Christ. Living the virtues is another sign of our repentance.
Every time we go to the Eucharist or Confession, we give evidence of our repentance. We are obligated to come to Mass every Sunday, but there are other ways we can go to the Eucharist which involve a choice to be with Christ; for example, Friday night Adoration. We have Adoration every Friday night here, and during Advent, we are giving a series of reflections on the person of Christ during Adoration. We had a great night this past Friday: I gave a reflection on the titles of Christ and we had live music. There was a nice crowd here who seemed to really enjoy it. The next two Fridays we will focus on the parables and miracles of Christ.
Going to Confession is an obvious (and maybe the greatest) sign of our repentance. On December 18, we will have a Parish Penance Service. There will be visiting priests – VISITING PRIESTS! – here who will be offering the sacrament of Reconciliation. It will be a powerful way for us to turn away from sin and toward our Lord.
There are people in our lives who live tough love: St. John the Baptist, maybe our parents, teachers, clergy, friends. But, it is love. Love is wanting what’s best for the other. St. John the Baptist truly wanted what’s best for the religious leaders and others. If he didn’t care about or love them, he wouldn’t have said a word. But, he knew that it would be best for them to repent, to change their lives, and to prepare for the coming of the Lord. It is best for all of us to repent, to prepare, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
I can live this way for about a week, tops; they do it every day. I was wondering how they do it, but then thought about how sometimes, there are certain passages or lines from Scripture that we think, ‘wow, I would love to meditate on that all day’. And, that’s what the hermits do. They meditate on the Word of God all day, every day. In solitude and in silence. And, believe me, the Word comes alive. God speaks to us in silence. It was a great week, but I’m happy to be back.
But, we were roughin’ it! It wasn’t the diet of John the Baptist – locusts and wild honey – but it was close. We did have a “desert day” which was bread and water only. Yes, St. John the Baptist lived a tough life. Some would say he lived tough love. This scene from the Gospel is an example of that. He is calling out the Pharisees and Sadducees because he doesn’t see any signs of their repentance. Basically, he is calling them out for merely going through the motions of religious rituals. He is saying, ‘guys, get ready! The time is now. Christ is coming! Repent; turn away from sin and turn your hearts to God. Prepare, for the kingdom of God is at hand!’
This prompts the question for each one of us: do I only go through the motions as a Catholic Christian, or have I given my heart to Christ? This is an especially good time to ask ourselves that question as we attend many of our religious rituals during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Are there signs of my repentance, where I’m turning away from sin and turning toward Christ? If so, what are the signs?
One of the most common signs of repentance is prayer – not just formal prayer, but praying to Christ from our heart during the day. Also, good works in our parish, community, and families which are above and beyond the call of duty show that we’ve given our hearts to Christ. Living the virtues is another sign of our repentance.
Every time we go to the Eucharist or Confession, we give evidence of our repentance. We are obligated to come to Mass every Sunday, but there are other ways we can go to the Eucharist which involve a choice to be with Christ; for example, Friday night Adoration. We have Adoration every Friday night here, and during Advent, we are giving a series of reflections on the person of Christ during Adoration. We had a great night this past Friday: I gave a reflection on the titles of Christ and we had live music. There was a nice crowd here who seemed to really enjoy it. The next two Fridays we will focus on the parables and miracles of Christ.
Going to Confession is an obvious (and maybe the greatest) sign of our repentance. On December 18, we will have a Parish Penance Service. There will be visiting priests – VISITING PRIESTS! – here who will be offering the sacrament of Reconciliation. It will be a powerful way for us to turn away from sin and toward our Lord.
There are people in our lives who live tough love: St. John the Baptist, maybe our parents, teachers, clergy, friends. But, it is love. Love is wanting what’s best for the other. St. John the Baptist truly wanted what’s best for the religious leaders and others. If he didn’t care about or love them, he wouldn’t have said a word. But, he knew that it would be best for them to repent, to change their lives, and to prepare for the coming of the Lord. It is best for all of us to repent, to prepare, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
Monday, December 03, 2007
On retreat
I'm on silent retreat (shhh!) this week at a hermitage. Please pray for me as I will pray for you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)